Isabelle Côté

Ovariectomy Stimulates Hepatic Fat and Cholesterol Accumulation in High-fat Diet-fed Rats

This study was designed to determine how estrogens withdrawal during a high-fat (HF) diet regimen affects liver triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesterol accumulation. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were submitted to a HF (42% energy as fat) or a standard (SD) diet for 6 weeks before being either ovariectomized (Ovx) or sham operated (Sham). Thereafter, Ovx and Sham rats were kept on the same diet for another 6 weeks leading to euthanasia. Liver TAG content was increased (p<0.01) in Ovx rats but not by the HF diet alone. However, the combination of HF diet and Ovx resulted in a greater liver TAG accumulation (p<0.06) than that observed in Ovx-SD/SD. Measurement of molecular markers of liver lipid metabolism revealed an increase in transcripts of markers of lipid oxidation (CPT-1 and PGC1; p<0.05) in rats fed the HF diet. This increase was, however, substantially less if HF fed rats were Ovx. Liver total cholesterol levels were increased (p<0.01) only in the Ovx-HF/HF rats while plasma cholesterol levels were increased in Ovx-SD/SD and in SHAM-HF/HF and Ovx-HF/HF rats. Transcripts of molecular markers of cholesterol metabolism suggest that biliary acids synthesis (CYP7a-1) was reduced in Ovx-SD/SD and Sham-HF/HF rats and even more so in Ovx-HF/HF rats. It is concluded that the effects of a HF diet on liver TAG accumulation are especially observed in Ovx rats possibly through a reduction in hepatic lipid oxidation. The combination of Ovx and HF diet also acts synergistically to favor liver cholesterol accumulation.

The effect of a hearing aid noise reduction algorithm on the acquisition of novel speech contrasts

Audiologists are reluctant to prescribe digital hearing aids with active digital noise reduction (DNR) to pre-verbal children due to their potential for an adverse effect on the acquisition of language. The present study investigated the relation between DNR and language acquisition by modeling pre-verbal language acquisition using adult listeners presented with a non-native speech contrast. Two groups of normal-hearing, monolingual Anglophone subjects were trained over four testing sessions to discriminate novel, difficult to discriminate, non-native Hindi speech contrasts in continuous noise, where one group listened to both speech items and noise processed with DNR, and where the other group listened to unprocessed speech in noise. Results did not reveal a significant difference in performance between groups across testing sessions. A significant learning effect was noted for both groups between the first and second testing sessions only. Overall, DNR does not appear to enhance or impair the acquisition of novel speech contrasts by adult listeners.

“I made her realise that I could be there for her, that I could support her”: Child Protection Practices with Women in Domestic Violence Cases

This article presents findings from a study that investigated child protection policies and practices, and focuses on data gathered in a child protection agency located in Quebec, Canada. This research project draws upon a qualitative case-study methodology, involving a documentary analysis of both national and local child protection policies, as well as semi-structured individual interviews with child protection front-line workers and front-line managers, managers and reviewing officers. Although the dominant pattern that emerged in the data suggests that child protection workers tend to focus on abused womens actions and to blame them for “failing to protect” their children, this article emphasises practices where the research participants had managed to avoid mother-blaming when working with these women. Indeed, the findings suggest that child protection workers can avoid mother-blaming when working with abused women, despite shortfalls in policies, procedures and resources. Such practices include recognising that there are two victims in domestic violence situations, building a trusting relationship, providing emotional and practical support, and balancing risk and safety. These four dimensions are interrelated and they all require a clear identification of domestic violence, as well as a good understanding of the problem and its impacts. To emphasise individual workers’ positive practices with women in domestic violence situations should not be used to minimise the importance of more structural changes in child protection policies and practices. This would include challenging the tendency to focus on women and finding more effective ways to engage with abusive men throughout child protection procedures in order to challenge their violent behaviours. However, it could lead to an approach that is more sensitive to domestic violence and that has the potential to alleviate the workers’ feelings of powerlessness and frustration in relation to their work with families where there has been domestic violence.

Loss of ovarian estrogens causes only mild deterioration of glucose homeostasis in female ZDF rats preventable by voluntary running exercise.

Studies on normoglycemic ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats have provided insights about the effects of estrogen deficiency on insulin resistance in lean individuals. It is not completely clear if subjects with pre-established obesity and insulin resistance are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes when ovarian estrogens are no longer secreted, and if physical activity can protect against this susceptibility. Contrasting with their male counterparts, obese and insulin resistant female ZDF (Zucker diabetic fatty) rats do not become hyperglycemic when fed a standard diet. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hypothesis that withdrawal of ovarian estrogens in insulin resistant female ZDF rats would trigger overt hyperglycemia, provided they remain physically inactive. Female ZDF rats underwent either an ovariectomy (OVX) or a simulated surgery (SHAM). Thereafter, OVX rats engaged either in voluntary wheel cage running (OVX-Active), or like the Sham rats, remained sedentary (OVX-Sed) for 6 weeks. Fasting glycemia, insulinemia, and glucose tolerance were not altered in OVX-Sed as compared to SHAM-Sed rats. However, OVX-Sed rats showed altered liver triglyceride and glycogen contents, increased pancreatic insulin content and reduced insulin-stimulated muscle pAKT as compared to SHAM-Sed rats. Physical activity in OVX rats lowered fasting glucose and insulin levels, improved glucose tolerance and insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake as compared to OVX-Sed rats. OVX-induced alterations in pancreatic insulin content and liver glycogen and triglyceride contents were significantly improved by physical activity. Loss of ovarian estrogens did not cause overt hyperglycemia in insulin-resistant female ZDF rats. Physical activity improved glucose homeostasis despite estrogen deficiency.

Abortion and Domestic Violence: Women's Decision-Making Process

This article addresses women’s experiences of abortion in the context of domestic violence, more specifically the decision-making process and the influence of the perpetrators in their decision. The data were collected through semistructured individual interviews with four Canadian women, aged between 23 and 36 years at the time of the interviews. Overall, the findings suggest that the factors influencing women’s decision can be grouped into the following four categories: domestic violence, the women’s individual situation, the couple’s situation, and external constraints. Implications for policies and practice are discussed.